Scotia Square food court gets a makeover

An artist’s rendering of the new Scotia Sqaure food court. Being called The Mix by owner Crombie REIT, the food court will be getting a $3 million makeover designed by Architecture49 of Halifax. (CONTRIBUTED)

As former Scotia Square favourite Ray’s Lebanese Cuisine gets ready to reopen at its new Burnside location, the owner of the downtown Halifax mall says its $3-million food court makeover is underway.

The food court, now dubbed The Mix by owner Crombie REIT, will include other local favourites like Taste of India, Kebab Kitchen and Korea Garden, in addition to McDonalds, Subway, Thai Express and Freshii.

The renovation, which includes upgraded finishes, flooring, lighting and TVs, was designed by Architecture49 of Halifax, Crombie REIT said in a news release issued Thursday.

More than 5,700 people signed a petition to keep Ray’s Lebanese Cuisine and A Taste of India from being forced to leave after the two longtime eateries received eviction notices early this year.

Crombie REIT eventually presented both owners with an offer to stay, but that meant renovation costs for both businesses and high rent.

Ray Khattar, who operated Ray’s at Scotia Square for 31 years, turned them down and told The Chronicle Heraldin February that he was looking to reopen on peninsular Halifax.

He could not be reached for comment Thursday, but earlier this month he announced on Twitter that his restaurant is reopening at 75 Akerley Blvd. in Dartmouth. He posted that it would take about a month to complete renovations there.

The owner of A Taste of India, John Nakka, also couldn’t be reached Thursday. When he last spoke to The Chronicle Herald, back in February, he said he needed time to go over the numbers before making a decision whether to stay. According to the Crombie REIT news release, the eatery is staying put.

The company said the food court will remain open as work continues through the summer and into the fall, and is the third phase of the company’s redevelopment plan launched in 2012 with the renovation of Barrington Tower and later Barrington Place. Work on the parkade at Scotia Square is also nearing completion, according to the release.

The company’s “overall master plan … has the potential to add up to one million square feet of upgraded mixed-use space to the existing two-million-square-foot complex,” the release said.